Just A Kiss
by LadyCara
Summary: "Once upon a time, there was a kingdom that was ruled by a mighty king..." A bedtime story.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Once upon a time, there was a kingdom that was ruled by a mighty king. As kings go, he was probably better than most, but he was neither an especially good or wise king. His kingdom was not large, but it had the usual: a castle, a few little towns, farms, forests and snow-covered mountains, although everyone only spoke in hushed voices when it came to them, since legend said that a powerful sorcerer had chosen those mountains as his realm.

"One day the king's daughter fell ill and grew weaker every day. Winter came, and the king was about to give up hope when suddenly three strangers appeared at his door. One of them said he was a physician, and the king pleaded with him to examine his daughter. The man did his bidding and soon discovered that the only cure was a rare flower that grew high up in the mountains, above the snowline.

"The king despaired. None of his knights would be willing to go there, despite how much they might boast about their braveness otherwise. The physician said that he didn't fear a random sorcerer, since he had probably encountered worse in his long life, and offered to go.

"When the two other strangers, a girl and a young man, said that they would accompany him on his quest the king's daughter pleaded with her father. She had taken a liking to the girl and wanted her to keep her company while they waited for the physician's return. The girl, kind at heart as she was, complied, and the young man decided to stay as well, since _he_ had taken a liking to a chamber maid."

"That was not very nice of him, wasn't it? He should have gone with his friend," a tiny voice commented.

"Maybe. But he also didn't want to leave the girl alone, 'cos she was too jeopardy-friendly for her own good."

"Oh. But she would have been with the princess, wouldn't she? The knights would have protected her if something happened."

"Not if she did what she always did and wandered off on her own," the narrator said amusedly and continued, "So the physician bid them farewell and left the castle in search of the cure."

~o~o~o~

Rose stood on top of the highest tower of the castle, wrapped in a warm cape one of the maids had found for her, and stared into the white landscape.

"Something is wrong," she said, barely keeping her voice from shaking.

"You can't know that, Rose," Jack gave back reasonably. "It's only been twelve hours."

With blazing eyes she turned around, her cheeks reddened from the cold. "That's exactly the point, Jack. It's been twelve hours. He said he would take the TARDIS and park her in the courtyard when he got back. Two hours to get to the ship, a couple of minutes for the trip, one or two hours to get the flower, less than two hours to get back. Six hours at the most, Jack, not twelve. Something is wrong."

"Maybe it just took him longer to find the flower."

She gave him a look as if he had just dribbled on his coat. "He's not exactly searching the mountains without a clue where to look. Sentient time ship, remember? Do you honestly think she couldn't scan for it?"

"Well, if you put it that way..."

Rose took a step towards the door that led into the interior of the tower. When he didn't move she asked impatiently, "Are you coming?"

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Searching for him, of course." She opened the door.

"No, you're not," he said. "Do you see that?" She turned around, and Jack pointed at a wall of dark clouds that covered the entire western sky.

Rose nodded.

"In less than two hours we will have a full-fledged blizzard. You really don't want to be caught outside then. Let alone that we need transport and supplies."

"Okay," she acknowledged. "But as soon as it's safe we're going."

Nobody would be able to talk her out of this.

~o~o~o~

"See? It was good that Jack stayed behind. Otherwise Rose might have left the castle and got caught in the snowstorm."

"But what happened to the physician?"

The narrator grinned. "Impatient, you are. I wonder where you got that from. Just listen a bit more."

He adjusted his position on the bed and continued his tale. "As Jack had predicted, two hours later the blizzard began. While Rose hunted down warm clothes and supplies, Jack approached the king and asked if he would lend them two horses. Although the king didn't like the idea of them following their friend into danger he didn't deny their wish, 'cos the physician was the only person who knew how to cure his daughter.

"When the snowstorm finally subsided it was already getting dark, and even Rose had to admit that it would be better to wait until morning. She paced the hallways of the castle until Jack told her to save her strength and go to bed.

"Rose didn't sleep much that night. In the first light of the morning they left the castle on two huge brown horses and followed the street that would eventually lead them to the foot of the mountain."

~o~o~o~

Rose carefully steadied her mare. She had mounted it with a lot of respect, but the stable master had assured her that it was very patient. In the first two hours they had gone slowly, and Jack had explained how she should shift her weight and hold the reins.

She turned around and took in her surroundings. The landscape was breathtaking. The blizzard had covered everything with a thick layer of snow, and now the sun had finally broken through the clouds. Icicles sparkled like diamonds, and the brightness of the snow made her squint. She could barely make out the small farms they had seen on their way to the castle.

"How long till we get to the mountains?" she asked.

"Two days, at this rate."

"Can't we go faster?" She bit her lower lip, for the first time voicing her worries. "What if he is injured? Even he can't survive in the cold that long."

Jack gave her a long, considering glance. "Rose, you don't feel it right now, but riding is much more exhausting than you think. When we rest this evening you won't be able to move a limb, believe me." He grinned. "I'd offer you a massage, but then he would probably kill me."

The grin she gave him in return was forced, and it vanished quickly. "Still, I think we should go faster. I _know_ something is wrong."

~o~o~o~

"Jack was right. When they finally reached the huge forest that separated them from the foot of the mountains and decided to rest there for the night Rose was barely able to walk, let alone help Jack putting up the small tent the king had given them.

"After a while she recovered enough to unload the horses. She found a few warm blankets and while Jack was searching for firewood she made two beds in the tent and cleared a part of the forest floor of snow. They had brought enough tinder and dry kindling to get a small fire going. It took a bit of work, but eventually the fire crackled merrily and after a while it was large enough to make tea, so they could warm up a bit. After a quiet dinner they crawled into the tent and cuddled together to share their warmth.

"The next morning, after a hurried breakfast, they packed the tent, mounted their horses and entered the forest. Every step got them closer to the realm of the mysterious sorcerer."

"Was there really a sorcerer?"

"You know, Rose was asking herself the same question."

~o~o~o~

"Do you think there really is a sorcerer, Jack?" Rose asked, her mare following his on a narrow path through the forest. They didn't even know if it actually led somewhere or if it just was something like a deer crossing. If there were deer on this planet.

"I don't know."

The answer was not what Rose had expected. She had thought he would just dismiss the thought, call her stupid and tell her that there was no such thing as a sorcerer.

"There are sorcerers?" she asked incredulously.

"I've encountered one on Hispaniola. The planet, of course, not the island. He had a gorgeous assistant. Very nice bum." He smirked. "Not as nice as yours, though."

"There's a time and a place, Jack," Rose chided, but her eyes sparkled. Then she became serious again. "But still, do you think he's a sorcerer?"

"As I said, I don't know. He might be a sorcerer, or an alien, or just an ordinary megalomaniac who wants everybody to live in fear..."

Jack never finished his sentence. Out of a sudden a wildcat the size of a puma appeared on the path directly in front of Rose's horse and hissed at her. Her mare snorted nervously. Rose winced and desperately tried to remember what Jack had told her about reining in a horse. Then the cat hissed again, and her mare reared up in fear. She lost the stirrups and her hands loosened their grip on the reins.

She had always laughed when people told her that something had happened in slow-motion. Now she saw the wildcat retreating into the covert and she could make out every scratch in the bark of the nearest tree before she landed on the snow-covered forest floor. Her horse vanished around the corner at a breakneck pace, and she could vaguely make out that Jack followed. Then darkness descended upon her.

When she regained consciousness Jack was nowhere in sight. With great effort she got up, steadied herself against a tree and took stock. Fortunately nothing was broken or sprained, although she could feel every single bone in her body and had a rather large bump at the back of her head. Then she turned her attention to the content of her pockets and discovered a chocolate bar, two biscuits and her TARDIS key. All in all, nothing that could help her in her current situation.

Rose leaned against the tree and tried to make a decision. After a few minutes of contemplating her alternatives she picked up a stick that was large enough to be used either as a club or a cane and followed the path in their previous direction.

~o~o~o~

"She wandered off?" the tiny voice asked. "Without knowing where Jack was? What if she got lost in the woods?"

"You know, this time she did have a reason," the narrator explained. "It was cold and she had to move if she didn't want to freeze to death. And she left directions for Jack before she went."

"Did she strew breadcrumbs? Like in Hansel and Gretel?"

"Nah. You know what happened in Hansel and Gretel. That would have been a really bad idea, and Rose wasn't stupid. She thought that an arrow made of pebbles and twigs would do nicely, and she knew she might need the bit of food she had."

"But why did Jack leave Rose?"

"He didn't have much of a choice. Rose's horse carried the supplies and the blankets, and he knew they wouldn't survive the night, let alone another snowstorm, if they didn't get them back."

He adjusted his long legs and leaned back against the headboard once again.

"As soon as he realised that Rose's mare had bolted, Jack spurred his own horse into a gallop. Unfortunately the horse had left the path and he couldn't keep up the speed, or he might have an accident himself. Eventually he lost sight of the panicked mare and slowed down to a fast walk, so he could read the marks from horseback.

"It took him almost an hour, but eventually Jack found Rose's horse meandering along the rim of the forest, occasionally nibbling at the moss that was growing on the trees. Although the horse made a bit of a fuss, mostly because it had decided that it liked its freedom, but also just out of principle, he finally caught it. Then he attached its reins to his saddle and slowly made his way back to the place where he had left Rose.

"It took him almost another hour to get there, and then he discovered that Rose was gone. At first he was worried, but few minutes later he found the arrows she had made and realised that she had wandered off." He grinned. "He really should have anticipated that."

~o~o~o~

Rose wandered slowly deeper into the forest. Sometimes she wasn't even sure if she was still following the path. It had been much easier to discern from horseback, and it certainly didn't help that the trees stood closer in this part of the forest. Although it was only two hours after noon it was almost dark beneath the trees, because the snow-covered spruce branches shut the light out.

Every once in a while she stopped for a brief rest. She hurt all over and she suspected in the evening her entire body would be covered in bruises, but she had to keep going. The temperature had dropped considerably in the last thirty minutes, or maybe it just seemed colder because she was so tired. She leant against a tree and closed her eyes for a minute.

She still worried about the Doctor. If he was injured he wouldn't survive in this cold long, despite the superior Time Lord physiology he kept mentioning. Or maybe the evil sorcerer had captured him, something that seemed to happen to them with surprising regularity. If there was an evil sorcerer. She wondered if he would wear a pointy hat or if that was just something out of a fairy tale. But maybe he had a black cat? And maybe it would hunt smurfs?

A rustling sound startled her. She realised that she had been about to fall asleep. She was just so tired, and the snow began to look really comfy. She desperately wanted to lie down for a proper rest, but she knew it would be her death. With sheer force of will she straightened herself and made the first step. She had to keep going. She was not going to give up. Nor was she going to abandon the Doctor.

The rustle repeated itself and Rose turned around, but she couldn't detect anything. Then she heard muffled thuds that seemed to come nearer and nearer. Eventually she could make out a dark form that moved in her direction, but it took her a few more seconds to realise what exactly she was seeing.

"Jack!" A smile lit up her face.

He jumped off his horse and smirked. "Rose! Next time we go anywhere you get to wear a collar and a leash."

She shoved him playfully. "You wish! Next time we go anywhere I get to wear a bikini, even if I have to bribe the TARDIS."

"I can live with that." He grinned at her.

"I bet." She grinned back. "Besides, becoming an ice block doesn't become me." She shivered involuntarily, and once she had begun she didn't seem to be able to stop.

He looked at her carefully. "Oh, Rose, I'm sorry. I didn't think it would take me so long." He searched the load on her horse.

"What are you looking for?" Her teeth chattered.

"Rose, you're close to being hypothermic. We've got to get something warm into you." He pulled out a warm blanket and wrapped her in it. Then he found the rest of the kindling and the tinder and set about to start a fire. "Keep walking," he advised her.

"But it's so cold," she whined. "I want to sit down."

"Rose, you have to keep your blood pressure up. Now walk!"

She had never heard such a commanding tone from him, but she complied, cursing him loudly. "Fine," he said. "Curse me. But walk."

During the next ten minutes she stomped through the snow like a petulant child and cursed him with increasing ferocity, interrupted by begging him to let her sit down. Eventually he handed her a mug of tea. She took it and sipped gratefully.

The hot tea did wonders for her. She felt how she slowly came to life again. Her fingers and feet began to prickle and the rest of her body began to hurt again. The cold had numbed it, and she hadn't even noticed. Maybe it had been a closer call than she had thought. "Thanks, Jack. I'm sorry for being such a bitch."

"Honey, there's nothing to be sorry for. Besides, you cursing me is definitely better than the Doctor killing me for letting you go into hypothermia." He hugged her and pressed a kiss on her forehead. Then he considered her appearance, and this time he looked satisfied. "Apart from putting you into a sauna this is the best we can achieve here. I think the worst is over."

Immediately her thoughts returned to the Doctor. "Do you think we can still make it to the foot of the mountain today? We lost so much time."

"Rose, are you sure?" He didn't sound entirely convinced that she could make it.

"Jack, I'm okay. Really." Seeing disbelief in his eyes she amended, "Well, maybe not okay, but definitely better than I was. My back is going to hurt no matter what. I'll just have to live with it." She would _not_ let herself be talked out of this.

Jack took whatever he saw in her face as a cue not to be ignored and began to pack.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Rose and Jack slowly followed the path through the forest. Despite her urging Jack never allowed a higher speed than a fast walk, because he feared that Rose was more exhausted than she thought she was. Eventually the trees stood farther away from each other, and they could see the sky again. Through a few gaps between the trees they could even get glimpses of the mountains. They filled their entire view, and what had seemed like slopes from a distance turned out to be mostly rough escarpments on closer look.

"When they finally reached the rim of the forest they had barely two hour left until sunset. For a few minutes they discussed spending the night in the forest, but Rose worried too much about their friend to rest when she still could shorten the distance parting them from him." The narrator grinned. "Jack was arguing with one of the most stubborn beings in the entire universe. He really should have known better.

"The sun was about to set when they discovered a small cave that might once have been the home of a lone wolf, but had been abandoned a long time ago. It was dry in there, and a lot warmer than outside. So they spent the night inside, protected from the cold wind that blew down from the mountains, because even Rose, jeopardy-friendly as she was, had to admit that trying to climb the mountain at night was far too dangerous.

"When the sun rose in the morning they got up, which was a small wonder in itself, because normally both of them were not exactly what one would call morning persons. They packed their blankets and had another hurried breakfast, and then they began the last steps on their journey into the realm of the sorcerer.

"The rocks around their cave were completely inaccessible for humans, and so they had to search the foot of the mountain until they finally found a steep road that was hidden underneath the branches of two large spruces. They almost would have missed it if Jack hadn't detected the traces of another deer trail.

"The path was much too narrow to go on horseback, and so they had to make a decision. One look in Rose's face confirmed Jack's suspicion that he was about to lose yet another argument if he held onto his opinion, so he dismounted his horse without more fuss than a heavy sigh and a muttered comment about being better off on a Chula warship with a bomb and emergency protocol four-one-seven, took the reins and led the way."

"What's emergency protocol four-one-seven?" his audience interrupted. The narrator winced. He really had to watch his tongue better.

"Just something to drink," he tried to dodge the question.

"But why did he call it an emergency protocol?"

Sometimes the little girl that was cuddled under her duvet was far too curious for her own good. He was fairly certain who she got that from. "Rescue mission, remember?" he reminded her in an attempt to change the topic.

She rolled her eyes at him, but he ignored her and continued, "The steep road was narrow and the ground was covered with ice. More than once one of them lost their footing. When they finally reached the open plane that marked the next part of their journey they were completely exhausted. Nevertheless they ventured on.

"Finally, after they had been wandering through the blinding white snow for more than four hours Rose could finally perceive an artificial structure against the glacier that covered the upper part of the mountain. In coming nearer she distinguished walls, windows, and towers with crenellations, all made of ice. Instead of a moat the castle was protected by a deep abyss which could only be crossed on a drawbridge that was made of ice, too. They had reached the lair of the sorcerer."

~o~o~o~

They tied up the horses to the remnants of a tree, hid behind a snowdrift and observed the guards. They were humanoid, with greenish skin that was covered by heavy body armour, and they looked rather grim, let alone that their weapons were everything but inviting. Rose quickly removed asking nicely for the whereabouts of the Doctor from her agenda.

"Do you think the sorcerer has got a backdoor?" she asked Jack, her voice laced with exhaustion. Her back hurt more than she had let on and the occasional bouts of stubbornness of her mare which had developed a strong dislike for icy undergrounds certainly hadn't helped. Running for her life was something she wasn't looking forward to at the moment.

He looked at her. "Are you okay, Rose?"

"Yeah." Maybe ignoring her back would help?

"Honey, that was about as convincing as the Doctor when he says that he's alright, or when you two say that you aren't like that."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Jack. I'm fine, just a bit exhausted. Give me a few moments to catch my breath while we figure out how to get in there."

Jack patted his pocket. "Sonic blaster, remember?"

"You're gonna _kill_ them?"

"Nah, the TARDIS only let me have the stun setting when she allowed me to recharge the batteries. But it should knock them out for some time."

"How long exactly?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"The distance from which they're hit. From here, maybe ten minutes. From over there, thirty, max." He pointed to an ice block that was situated halfway towards the entrance.

"Great," Rose murmured sarcastically. There was absolutely no cover between their snow bank and the ice block. She shrugged mentally. If she had to, she had to. She crouched on her feet. "Well, come on, then. What are you waiting for?"

Jack glared at her. "You're _not_ coming with me when I knock out the guards."

"You think?" She stared back, and eventually he relented. Eventually he'd learn not to argue with a Tyler woman on a mission. Maybe.

Suddenly she realised that both guards were turning their backs at them at the same time. She nudged Jack, but he had already seen it and was already getting up.

"Run!" he whispered, and they sprinted across the open plane and threw themselves into cover behind the ice block. For a few minutes they just lay there, catching their breaths, then Jack pulled his blaster out of his pocket and took aim.

He pulled the trigger and a sound wave hit her, while the guards ungracefully collapsed on the ground. "You never said it would be that loud!" Rose hissed.

"Sorry, forgot the silencer," Jack said apologetically.

"Your sonic blaster has a...? Oh, never mind. Let's go!"

They dashed towards the drawbridge and entered the fortress.

~o~o~o~

"Jack and Rose sneaked through the corridors, every once in a while ducking into doorways when they saw someone coming. Deeper and deeper they wandered into the fortress, until they finally reached a circular staircase. They exchanged a look and began to climb it, always fearing someone would discover them.

"Eventually they reached the end of the staircase and found themselves looking into a tower room that contained nothing but a bed with a silent figure on it. They had found their friend."

~o~o~o~

For an immeasurable amount of time that couldn't have been longer than five seconds Rose just stood in the doorframe and stared at the sight in front of her. Then she ran over to the bed, but stopped before she reached it. "Doctor? Doctor!"

The figure on the bed didn't move.

She shook him at the shoulder. "Doctor? Wake up!"

Again he showed no reaction, as if he was unconscious.

With growing desperation Rose touched his forehead with the back of her hand. "He's cold, Jack. Much colder than he should be."

"Do you feel a pulse?"

She took his wrist and searched for the pulse-point. She could feel a double-beat, faintly, but it was there. "Yeah," she said, relief evident in her voice.

"I don't see any obvious injuries. He might be in trance."

"Thanks, Jack, that really helps," Rose gave back sarcastically. "They could find us any minute. We were not exactly inconspicuous when we wandered in, with all those unconscious guards lying around. We have to get him out of here. Now!" She tugged at the Doctor's arm, but to no avail.

"Maybe you should kiss him awake, Briar Rose," Jack suggested with a smirk.

She stared at him incredulously. "Sleeping Beauty? You're kidding me, right?"

"Oh, come on, Rose. It can't hurt, can it? Besides, everything was like a fairy tale until now, the castle, the princess, the cure, the sorcerer in his ice fortress. It only lacked Snow White and the dwarfs. Although, coming to think of it," he gestured at the Doctor and grinned, "His ears look at bit like Dopey's." The grin grew wider. "Oh, I'm never going to let him live this down if it works."

"But..."

"Well, if you don't want to..." Jack moved towards the bed, licking his lips.

"Don't you dare!" she said, glaring at him. Then she smiled, her first real smile since the Doctor had left the castle, and tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ears. She bent down, touched his cheek, closed her eyes and kissed him softly. She could almost feel him, the very essence of his being, only divided from her by a thin veil that she wanted to draw aside. If only this would work. She lost herself completely in the kiss, although it was nothing more than her lips touching his. She could spend an eternity just kissing him.

Eventually his eyelids fluttered open, and reality hit her. Hard. They weren't like this. They never had been and they never would be. She retreated hastily.

"Rose? What are you doing here?" the Doctor asked, his voice rough.

"Well, as it looks you've been knocked out for almost three days," she told him, trying to hide her embarrassment. She would never know how she kept her voice from wavering.

"Ah." He sat up. Rose retreated even further, until she was stopped by the wall behind her, looking everywhere but at him.

"You know, the two of you are just too cute," Jack commented. "You should sell tickets."

"Huh?" Two pairs of eyes stared at him questioningly.

"Hopeless." He shook his head and left the room.

~o~o~o~

"What did he mean? What was hopeless?"

The narrator smiled. "Absolutely nothing. Jack was wrong. What had happened was the beginning of something fantastic."

"Really?"

He nodded and continued, "With Rose's help the physician got up. Being in a trance for that long had made him slightly disoriented, but it passed quickly. After a few minutes he felt much better, and they left the tower room in search of the sorcerer."

~o~o~o~

The Doctor stood in the middle of the room and glared at the boy who was slouched on the throne-like chair in front of him, completely ignoring the two guards Jack had collected on their way here. A detailed description of the origin and features of his blaster had secured him their avid attention and their company. Of course he had conveniently forgotten to mention that only the stun setting worked.

The young man on the throne pointed something that looked like a remote at him. "You really should have stayed where you were, Time Lord. On the other hand, you awake and with an accessible mind has got possibilities." He fiddled with the settings of the gadget. "Let's see..."

"Oh, put that away. It won't work anyway." He pressed a button on his sonic screwdriver.

The boy executed a complicated gesture with the device he was wielding. An astonished look crossed his face when nothing happened.

The Doctor grinned. "See? Useless." Then he became serious again. "I really don't want to know what you're doing on this planet, but it ends. Here and now."

His opponent smirked. "Does it? Really? I know what you are. Time Lords never interfere. Do you really want me to believe that's changed?"

The Time Lord in question shrugged. "You might know what I am, but you don't know me. Your choice. You can leave on your own, or I can bring in the Shadow Proclamation. I've got the feeling they might be very interested in your whereabouts."

"You have to hide behind the Shadow Proclamation?" Despite his disdainful answer the slight wavering of his voice made clear that the sorcerer's confidence was shaken.

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow. "Calling the Shadow Proclamation would be doing you a favour. What do you think your mother would do if I told her what happened here, Prince Varelan?"

The prince paled considerably.

~o~o~o~

"Rose had never seen anybody pack their things so quickly. It took the prince and his lackeys merely an hour to gather everything of value, then they were on their merry way somewhere else where they would probably try to wreak havoc." The narrator grinned. "Unfortunately they didn't know that the physician and his companions had come across their space ship on their way to the throne room and, well, _improved_ the navigation system slightly. Unless Prince Varelan actually decided to go home like a good boy the only place his ship would take them was a lush forest planet without as much as a trace of intelligent life forms. Not to forget that their long-distance communication would be completely useless there, thanks to the somewhat erratic moods of the sun the planet was circling.

"The three friends waved them goodbye when their ship took off and then decided to take their leave from the ice fortress, but not after they had set the remaining technical equipment to self-destruct."

~o~o~o~

"What was that about calling his mum?" Rose asked on their way out.

"Well, his mother is known as the Good Fairy in the entire quadrant," the Doctor gave back with a slight grin.

She shoved him playfully. "Oh, come on, Doctor! Do you really think I'd fall for that?"

"It's true!" he protested. "She's the Good Fairy. If it ever came out that she had a son like him it would be bad for her reputation. As to what she can do... Let me put it this way: She'd even beat your mum in a slapping contest."

"Oi!" Then she registered his words and eyed him speculatively. He avoided her gaze and she broke into laughter. "So what'd you do?"

"Who says I did anything?"

"I know you!" she sing-songed.

He was silent.

"Oh, I'd love to hear the story behind this," Jack threw in from behind.

The Doctor's ears turned an interesting shade of pink. "I accidently ate some of her jelly babies," he mumbled eventually.

Rose giggled and Jack laughed outright at this.

"Well, there was this large bowl of jelly babies. Who was I to know that they were her personal supply?" he asked indignantly and added in a rather desperate attempt to change the topic, "Anyway, flowers to find, princesses to cure." Then he smiled at Rose and reached for her hand. "Run!"

~o~o~o~

"It took them merely an hour to find the flower the physician had been searching for. They retrieved the horses and although the physician was not exactly happy about transporting them on his ship he relented when Rose gave him one of her brilliant smiles, although he made it clear that they would _not_ keep them. Then he retreated to his lab and extracted the cure for the princess from the flower. Shortly after he had announced the process to be complete the ship landed in a secluded corner of the castle and the physician went to see his patient.

"Three days later the princess had fully recovered and the king gave a feast to celebrate. The entire castle hummed with excitement. Rose vanished for hours and when she reappeared she was wearing a silvery grey gown and shoes that looked as if they were made from glass. She was the most beautiful woman the physician had ever seen. With a slight bow he held out his arm and accompanied her to the ballroom.

"Eventually everyone who had been invited had gathered, apart from Jack, who was nowhere to be seen. The physician strongly suspected that he had reintroduced himself to the chambermaid. Then the master of ceremonies announced the arrival of the king and his daughter with a loud thud of his staff. They crossed the ballroom and seated themselves on the pompous chairs someone had carried there from the throne room. The master of ceremonies thud his staff again, and when everyone had quieted down the king began to speak."

~o~o~o~

"Doctor, you have saved my daughter's life, and you and your companions have defeated the menace that hung over us for so long. My entire people is deeply in your debt. My kingdom is not large, but I will do what is in my power to express my gratitude. As it is custom, I will grant you my daughter's hand, and you shall reign this kingdom when the time comes."

Seeing the horrified expression on the Doctor's face Rose had to bite back a completely undignified giggle. He recovered quickly, and with a composure that was entirely unlike his usual mercurial self he replied, "King Talaxias, it is my destiny to be a wanderer among the stars, only accompanied by my faithful companions. Thus I have to decline your gracious offer, albeit to my outmost regret." He just stood there in his battered leather jacket and his Doc Martens, but he looked even more regal than the king in his robes.

When he continued a tiny smile played around his lips. "As for my hearts, they are no longer mine to command. A pixie stole them, piece by piece, a long time ago, and they have been hers ever since. She is the only person in the entire universe I trust to keep them safe." He looked at Rose, with so much love in his eyes that it took her breath away.

It was as if a veil had been lifted, and for the first time she could see him for who he truly was. Time embraced him, and if he just raised his finger whole planets would bend to his will. But he had denied all this power and was fully content with the life he led. And this being was saying... Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? That he had fallen in love with her? And had he really acknowledged it in front of all these people? She stared at him in what could only be described as shock.

The Doctor turned his attention back to the king. "Majesty, if you would excuse me now." He bowed slightly, and with one of the mood changes she had become so accustomed to he winked at her and took her hand. "Rose?"

"Yes, Doctor?" she managed, still recovering from shock.

He grinned at her and tugged at her arm. "Run!"

~o~o~o~

Five minutes later they arrived at the TARDIS, laughing and panting. The Doctor opened the door and led her inside, then he leaned against the console and faced her with a serious expression.

"I'm sorry."

She looked at him in confusion. "What for?"

"I did something I shouldn't have done."

She just looked at him questioningly, but kept silent otherwise. He could see that she feared he would back out, but the truth was that he wasn't entirely sure anymore if he could ever leave her, even if she asked him to.

"You wanted to know what happened in the tower."

"Yes."

"Well, unfortunately the sorcerer had figured out rather quickly what I am, and he wanted my memories. With them he would have been able to change the history of the entire quadrant to his advantage. I'm a telepath, Rose, and that can either be an advantage or a curse. In this case, it was both. They had an extremely powerful mind reader and I put myself into a trance to deny them access to my mind."

He gave her a wry grin. "Not one of my wisest moves. Unfortunately they had anticipated that, and I had to lock myself in and throw the key through the nearest airlock, metaphorically speaking. But I left a backdoor ajar. I was more or less certain you would come for me, and if you found me you would do everything in your power to get me out of that trance. So I established you as the single person who could wake me up. To do this you had to make both physical and mental contact with me, and that would only work if your entire being was focused on me. I know you don't like it when someone messes with your head. I'm really sorry, but I didn't see any other way," he apologized.

"You git! You used my kiss as a... as an alarm clock? You deserved a slap for that if I didn't love you."

"You do?"

She stared at him incredulously. "You really have to ask? After that kiss? Oh, you're..."

She was about to continue her tirade, possibly even follow through with her threat, but he caught her arms, bent down and shut her up with another kiss.

~o~o~o~

"And the physician and Rose lived happily ever after, at least as long as the nuisance called Jack..."

"Oh, but that's not fair. Jack helped," the miniature version of the love of his lives protested, although she was barely able to keep her eyes open. He should have known she'd take Jack's side.

The Doctor pressed a kiss on her forehead. "You're right. He helped." He sighed inwardly and concluded, "...and they lived happily ever after."

~o~o~o~

With an almost inaudible _click_ the Doctor closed the bedroom door behind him. He turned around, about to don his leather jacket, when he found Rose leaning against the wall in the corridor.

"You know, for someone who keeps saying that he doesn't do domestic, you tell beautiful bedtime stories," she commented.

"Oi! That wasn't a bedtime story. That was a lecture about the healing powers of wild flowers and the usefulness of backdoors when putting yourself in a trance."

"Right," she said with a knowing smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Her smile became radiant. "That I really want to snog you senseless right now."

He raised an eyebrow and smiled back. "And what exactly is stopping you?"


End file.
